Chapter 29: Drawing Zach In

Logan spent a day setting up the shelter, getting everything ready except for the electrical appliances.

He also bought several rugs to place in the shelter's rooms and living area.

The electrical appliances would have to wait until after the geomagnetic storm passed to avoid damage.

Once the shelter was completed, David Lin had little to do, following Logan around.

After some thought, Logan said:

"Go prepare some supplies and store them in your rented apartment."

With the apocalypse approaching, Logan didn't mind helping David Lin out as a reward for his diligent work over the past two months.

There wouldn't be any more salary for David Lin, of course. And if he didn't listen, Logan wouldn't remind him again.

After sending David Lin away, Logan took out his phone and removed a number from his blacklist.

Zach.

Logan dialed the number.

"Logan?! Is it really you?! Where have you been lately?! I saw a video of you being taken away by the police in a short clip. Are you okay?!"

Zach's voice sounded genuinely surprised and excited.

He was indeed very excited; over the past two months, he had been almost driven mad by his parents' complaints, and the family's plan to buy a new house had been delayed because they hadn't been able to borrow money from Logan.

Logan replied, "I'm fine. I've just been feeling down, so I've been traveling in South City. Do you want to come over and hang out for a few days?"

Without thinking, Zach agreed:

"Sure! I'll ask for a few days off and come keep you company!"

After a few more casual exchanges, Logan hung up the phone.

How could he forget that Zach was the one who had caused his death in his previous life?

Logan wasn't going back to Harbor City, but that didn't mean he would let Zach off the hook.

Luring Zach to South City to deal with him worked just as well.

Logan also stocked up on ten tons of bottled water and some of his favorite foods in South City.

In fact, water would be the least of their worries during the extreme cold.

Snow would be everywhere, and if they got thirsty, they could just eat some snow to quench it, although that would make their bodies even colder. But compared to the difficulty of obtaining food, water wouldn't be a concern for the survivors.

And with viruses and bacteria everywhere, whether or not they ate snow wouldn't really affect their chances of getting sick.

Most survivors had already developed antibodies after a few years into the apocalypse.

They would eat raw meat, consume snow, and wear animal hides. Humanity slowly adapted to the harsh environment, while those who couldn't adapt perished.

Logan was just preparing some water as a precaution.

He also bought two computers and downloaded countless files, along with some movies, anime, and games.

Among the files were manuals on how to make various tools, repair electrical systems, and maintain generators.

These files might become invaluable in the future.

With some money left from selling the duplicated gold bars, Logan still had less than $100,000 in cash.

Everything was ready.

Three days before the SSS-class solar flare was set to erupt, Zach hurriedly arrived from Harbor City.

It was clear that Zach hadn't had a good couple of months; he had lost weight.

When Zach saw Logan, he immediately started apologizing and groveling, behaving very humbly.

As he apologized, he kept watching Logan's expression.

"Logan, I really see you as my own brother, so I didn't think things through. Can you forgive me?

I promise I'll do more for you in the future!"

Logan showed a vague smile, nodding nonchalantly.

"Stay here for a week before you leave. I'll cover all the expenses."

Zach's face lit up with visible joy.

As expected, Logan was still the same gullible Logan.

It seemed that his previous actions had been too obvious and had angered Logan.

"Great!" Zach readily agreed. He still needed to find an opportunity to ask Logan for money.

"So, when did you come to South City by yourself? I heard online that you were expelled from school—is that true?"

Zach feigned concern, but the hint of schadenfreude in his eyes wasn't well hidden.

"It's true," Logan nodded, pretending not to notice.

Zach made a show of comforting Logan before discussing their plans for the next few days.

Logan genuinely wanted to relax for a bit during these few days.

Taking action before the apocalypse was risky, and Logan wasn't in a rush.

His goal was to keep Zach in South City, and once the apocalypse hit, let him experience its despair before he died!

Logan never saw himself as a good person.

In his previous life, after losing his parents, he placed all his emotional reliance on Zach and his other "good friends."

In the early days of the apocalypse, when money still had some value, he shared his father's gold bars with them, giving them hope for survival.

When he and Zach were struggling to survive in the apocalypse, Logan always took on the most dangerous tasks.

But despite everything he did, all he got in return was betrayal.

Part of the blame lay with Logan himself for being too weak and not seeing people for who they truly were.

In this life, he would no longer be soft-hearted, nor would he trust in foolish sentiments.

Although many of the events from his past life, including the betrayal, had not yet occurred, Zach's nature was unchanged. Even if they started over, Zach would still fully exploit him.

Logan lowered his gaze to conceal the coldness in his eyes.

"Hey, isn't Ashley also studying in South City? Should we invite her to join us?" Zach raised his eyebrows at Logan, giving him a knowing look that all men understood.

Ashley was the second girl in their group of six, besides Fiona.

Logan's memories of Ashley were still from eight years ago.

During high school, the others in the group often tried to match him with Ashley, always talking about the two of them as a pair.

After hearing it so many times, Logan had started to develop feelings for the girl.

But now, to Logan, she was just someone he hadn't seen in eight years, and he couldn't even remember her face clearly.

Hearing Zach mention her again, Logan felt nothing, but since Zach was pushing for it, Logan casually agreed.

They found a hotel, where Logan booked a room for Zach and took the one next door for himself.

True to form, Zach contacted Ashley.

The next day, May 29th, two days before the SSS-class solar flare eruption.

Logan and Zach went to the beach in South City, where they met Ashley, whom Logan hadn't seen in eight years.

Ashley was a dance student at the South City University's School of Art, with a naturally excellent figure.

Because they were spending the day at the beach, Ashley boldly wore a bikini.

Zach couldn't take his eyes off her.

Logan was wearing swim trunks under his clothes, and when he took off his shirt, his well-defined but not overly bulky muscles caught Ashley's eye.

"Logan, when did you get in such great shape?"

Ashley completely ignored the ordinarily built Zach, her gaze frequently landing on Logan's abs.

"I've gotten into working out recently."

Logan casually replied, setting up a beach chair, putting on sunglasses, and beginning to enjoy the sun.

In two days, people wouldn't need sunglasses to look directly at the fireball in the sky.

Before the apocalypse arrived, Logan intended to enjoy the last few days of warm sunshine and relax his constantly tense mind.

Ashley also lay down next to Logan to sunbathe.

The two chatted casually, completely ignoring Zach.

A shadow passed over Zach's eyes, but he forced a smile and tried to join their conversation.

The three stayed at the beach until the sun set, then found a place to have dinner before parting ways.

The next day, Logan spent the whole day with Zach and Ashley in South City.

Finally, it was June 1st, Children's Day.

The day of the SSS-class solar flare eruption.